Teen Walks Speech Therapist who Gave him a Voice Down the Aisle on her Wedding Day

An 18-year-old in Austin, Texas recently fulfilled a very important role for his speech therapist on her wedding day — he walked her down the aisle. Having met more than a decade ago, the two have developed a bond that is almost familial, and his special role on her wedding day brought joy to all those involved.

Dylan Mast was diagnosed with autism, intellectual disabilities and speech apraxia at three years old. To help further his verbal and communication skills, he started speech therapy. Maggie Stoecker served as Dylan's speech therapist for one year while he was in elementary school, and the two formed a bond that his parents would not soon forget.

Marnie Mast, Dylan's mother, told Newsweek that at the age of 10, Dylan was still unable to speak; however, she and her husband were not willing to give up. "I had remembered Maggie and how wonderful she was and how she had connected with Dylan several years before," Mast said. "I reached out to her and asked if she'd be willing to come to our home and work with him." And Stoecker agreed to work with Dylan again.

Mast said that they planned to try out the speech therapy sessions with Stoecker for a few months. If progress wasn't made, they'd re-evaluate. But, to everyone's joy, Dylan's time with Stoecker quickly proved to be positive. Now eight years later, Dylan is not only talking but his verbal language and articulation skills continue to develop.

According to his mother, Dylan and Stoecker share an "incredible bond."

"He adores her beyond measure, and he wants to please her and continues to work hard for her each and every session," Mast told Newsweek. "They make each other laugh regularly and they both have a deep and mutual respect for each other."

As she has spent so much time in their home over the last several years, Mast said that Stoecker has become like family. So, when Stoecker asked if Dylan would walk her down the aisle on her wedding day, Mast couldn't help but become overwhelmed with emotion.

"When Maggie asked if Dylan could walk her down the aisle I ugly cried," she said. "I was blown away, but it made all the sense in the world. I knew she adored him, but this is next level."

Mast shared that while Dylan was excited, he didn't truly begin to understand the weight of what he was asked to do until the weekend of the wedding.

"Once they rehearsed the day before the wedding I think it all sank in," she said. "Watching him in the moment you could see how seriously he took his role and how proud he was to be a part of it all. He had the time of his life!

"As my husband and I watched Dylan walk this beautiful girl towards her future husband I thought about how far he's come and the exponential growth in ALL ways was right before our very eyes," she continued. "Again...I cried, my husband cried and there were quite a few other teary wedding guests."

Dylan loves school, is thriving in his special ed classes and is active in Special Olympics. His parents are proud of him, and Mast told Newsweek that Dylan is very happy.

"Dylan is THE HAPPIEST human being on the earth," she said. "He is warm, funny, sweet and very endearing to all who meet him. His disabilities have affected his life growing up in profound ways because he has never been able to experience what a 'neurotypical' person gets to experience growing up... But, what is unique about Dylan is that he is truly always happy and has immeasurable self-confidence."

Though Mast is not sure of what the future holds, she believes Dylan could one day hold a job and eventually live with others.

"Wherever he lands the one thing we know for sure is that he will be a happy, well-adjusted young man with lots to offer this world," she said.